Closing device for electric circuits.



W. A. KILMER.

CLOSING DEVICE FOR EL ECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 1914.

1,220,342. Patented Mar. 27-, 1917.

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APPLICATION'HLED JAN. 2.1914. I Y

Patented Mar. 27., 1917,

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WILLIAM A. KILMER, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS, -ASSIGNQR TO THE AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF- NEW JERSEY.

CLOSING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Application filed January 2, H514. Serial No. 809,915.

7 To all witom it may concern:

- simple and as the actuation is electric, may

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. KILM'ER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of De Kalb, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closing De-, vices for Electric Circuits, of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to fence fabric making machinery and has particular reference to a novel shear actuating device for use in connection with such machines and specificallyfsuch a machine 'as shown in my copending application, Serial No. 793,580, filed October 6, 1913, and my prior Patent 1,076,831, co-pending with my aforesaid application.

In the operation of fence fabric machines such as disclosed in my co-pending application referred to, the fabric is "sheared into the required lengths by automatic means; that is, predetermined lengths such as ten rods, twenty rods, etc., are sheared without attention on the part of the operator it being understood that the required length is predetermined and suitable change gears installed. However, in many instances short lengths are required, that is, lengths down to a few feet for use in concrete reinforcements. To provide gears which may be changed to secure such uneven lengths would be impossible. I have therefore provided mechanism as shown on the inclosed' drawings by means of which exact lengths may be provided the mechanism therefor being be placed at any suitable distance from the machine. Broadly stated, the invention consists. in an endless chain having one or more lugs 'or flights thereon, which lugs are adjustable in the length of the chain, these .lugs acting upon suitable contacts, which contacts in turn close-electric circuits and actuate a solenoid through which the shear clutch is operated.

My invention further COIlSiStS'lIl the use of means whereby a circuit is closed and an electric warning is given ust prior to the.

actuation of the shear clutch.

- Figure 1 isan elevation of a portion of a fabric machine having my novel. shear actuating mechanism applied thereto; I

The invention will be more readily under-- stood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein,

ings it will be seen that in Fig. 1, I have.

shown a portion of a fabric formmg device, a specific description of which will not be made herein reference being had to' my copending application heretofore referred to. In such mechanism there is provided on a constantly moving shaft 10, a sprocket 11. A .chain 12 connects-this sprocket to a shaft 13, carrying a beveled gear 14, which gear meshes with a similar gear 15, on a shaft carrying a suitable sprocket with which a chain 16, engages, this chain causing constant rotation of the endless chain 17, mounted on the sprockets 18, 19. On the chain 17 are provided lugs 20, as best shown The sprocket 18 is otally mounted on'a shaft 22, which shaft having pins-23,23, upon one face and lugs or projections 30, 30, upon the opposite likewise serves as a support for a disk 21, I

disposed diametrlcally opposite; that is to say, the pin 23 is located diametrically opdiametrically opposite the lugs 30. By prodiskadjacent to the chain 17, one thereof is certain to bewithln the arc of movement of a pin '20 carried by the chain as it travels around, the sprocket and consequently the disk is moved'180 each time a pin 20 passes around the sprocket. With the lug posite to the pin 23 and the lug 30 is located a viding two lugs'30, 30', upon the face of the 30 in the position shown. in the drawings,

the pin 23' is so positioned as to be about to I engage the'arm 24, although the pin 23 is some distance from the arm 25. The first movement of the disk will, therefore, cause a rotation of the arm 24 about its pivot 24. The contact piece 26 is likewise pivoted at 24, the angular end portion of the arm 24 bearing against the contact piece 1 26. A spring 28 serves to hold the parts 1n the relation shown in Fig. 4, although permitting the rotation of the arm 24 about the pivot 24' While the contact piece 26 remains stationary. Motion imparted to the arm 24 by the the contact piece 27 is moved to close the contact against the stationary member 27 and the circuit 32 is closed, which serves to actuate'the shear clutch. After the pin 23 has traveled in an arc to the point where the.

end of the arm 24 may escape the same, the arm 24 will snap back, due to the action of the spring 24 and the contact will be broken quickly as required in order to avoid arcing. The same action. will follow the contact of the pin 23 and the arm 24 under the action of the spring 25%. When one operation is complete, the disk and contact members will be left in the position shown in the drawings, ready for engagement by another pin 20.

It is obvious that the construction shown is only typical of other constructions which might be evolved therefrom and I do not therefore Wish to be limited to the exact form herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of machine elements and an endless chain driven by said elements, lugs on said chain, a loosely mounted rotatable disk adapted for engagement with said lugs,

' projections on saiddisk, a signal circuit and an operating circuit and a switch for con- 2. In a device of the class described, the

trolling each of said circuits, said switches belng located in prox mity to the projections on said disk, the projections and switches'be- 'ing so located as to cause closing of said signal eircuit before closing said operating circuit, substantially'as described.

combination of machine elements, an endless chain driven by said elements, lugs remova bly secured t said chaiii, a disk having at least two lugs and so located that one of said last named lugs is certain to be engaged by one of saidlugs on said chain during substantially 180 of movement around a center, a plurality of switches controlling a plurality of circuits, projections on said disk,

said switches and projections being so positioned as to cause actuation of said switches during substantially 180 of movement of said disk, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an endless chain, a plurality of lugs removably secured to said chain, a disk having a plurality of lugs on one side and a plurality of projections on the other side, a plurality of switches adapted for actuation by the projections on said disk, the projections on said disk and said switches being so arranged as to cause actuation of said switches in sequence and to cause said switches to be actuated during substantially 180 of movement of said disk, substantially as described. j

'4. In a device of the class described, the combination of an endless chain, a sprocket around which said chain is caused to travel, a wheel mounted onthe same center with said socket and independently rotatable relatively thereto, at least two lugs on one side of said wheel and at least two projections on the other side of said wheel, a plurality of lugs removably secured to said chain and adapted to contact the lugs on said wheel in sequence, a signal circuit and van operating circuit, switches controlling said circuits and located in proximity to the projections on said wheel, whereby. said switches are caused to be actuated in sequence and both said switchesare caused to be actuated by a rotation of said wheel of substantially 180 under the action of one of the lugs on said chain, substantially as described.

Witnesses: L. JENKINS, W. J. Horn. 

